campusreview . com . au industry & research
Students are very rarely assessed on whether they possess the skills necessary to manage their learning .
Sense of self
Teaching self-regulated learning skills needs greater emphasis , expert says .
By Wade Zaglas
A
Flinders University researcher has highlighted that developing students ’ ability to self-regulate their learning will be one of the most critical skills to develop during the COVID pandemic , with the growing shift to online learning .
Professor Stella Vosniadou has concluded that self-regulated learning is a valuable tool " that could help students profit from online instruction and ease the transition into university ”.
Vosniadou asserts in a new paper , titled ‘ Bridging Secondary and Higher Education . The Importance of Self-regulated Learning ’: “ Learning can be improved , and it is more effective when students can control their motivational states , use effective strategies to manage their thinking , and reflect upon their learning processes and outcomes .”
According to Vosniadou , learners who can self-regulate possess both the knowledge and skills to reflect on their learning , particularly in the areas in which they need to improve . And this is an essential attribute , Vosniadou argues , as they are skills that are essential to profit from online instruction , “ which is becoming the main form of learning in many schools as a result of the COVID crisis ” and will arguably become more popular in schools in the future .
Further , the Flinders University academic argues that having low or no self-regulated learning skills is “ recognised as a barrier in the transition from secondary education to tertiary ”. And yet Vosniadou says school students know little about their own learning process or possess strategies to manage it .
In considering why this ‘ problem ’ exists , Vosniadou points to a common and much maligned fact about the modern education system : it is bursting with course content that leaves time for little else . Indeed , according to Vosniadou nearly all ( 98.8 per cent ) of Australian teachers called self-regulated learning skills important , yet roughly only a third of educators ( 32 per cent ) embedded the opportunity to exercise the skills in their lesson planning .
This is problematic , as the researcher makes clear that the teaching of content goes “ hand in hand ” with the teaching of strategies to “ critically process [ the ] content ". She is also concerned that such skills are not tested regularly .
“ Although students usually do difficult tests on their background knowledge in different subjects , they are very rarely assessed on whether they possess the skills necessary to manage their learning in an effective way ,” she said .
Vosniadou says universities could play a part in addressing these skills at the university entrance stage , which could encourage secondary schools to focus on these skills more .
“ Rather than focusing on just learning content for each subject , promoting selfregulated learning requires that teachers design constructive and interactive tasks that students can use to process content information critically ,” she said .
“ It also requires teaching students the strategies needed for the successful completion of such tasks .”
Vosniadou points to the Australian Science and Mathematics School ( ASMS ) as an example of an institution that implements self-regulated learning skills into its curriculum through its Learning Studies Program .
The program is a joint project with Flinders and ASMS is supported by an Australian Research Council ( ARC ) discovery grant . It is tasked with “ investigating ways to help teachers from schools in the larger Adelaide area to learn how to promote independent and self-regulated learning in their classrooms ”.
“ The students discuss the subjects they are doing , the difficulties they are facing , and articulate and revise their goals ,” Vosniadou says .
“ The teacher provides information relevant to knowledge about learning and learning strategies , such as time management , goal setting and positive mindset .”
The academic asserts there is evidence that such programs “ can help teachers create learning environments conducive to self-regulated learning ”.
“ These programs require that educators give less emphasis to providing only subject content and more emphasis on helping students acquire the skills and strategies needed to understand content critically , to create independent learners .” ■
17